Long time municipal politician Holyday was
unsuccessful nine years ago in getting Toronto Council to adopt sanctions
against municipal politicians who chose not to complete their terms.

If Holyday wins the provincial by-election on August
1st, he will be such a politician.

Holyday seems to remember only some details of his
motion.

Read Regg Cohn’s column and the motion (which I’ve
copied below) and you’ll see why the columnist has accused Holyday of hubris.

Oh, I’ve highlighted
(by underlining) a few of my favourite sections of the motion.

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J(10) Request
to Amend The Municipal Elections Act to Allow a Municipality to Place Restrictions
on the Terms under which their Members may Stand for a Higher Office

Moved by: Councillor Holyday

Seconded by: Councillor Ootes

“WHEREAS
in an open and accountable free society, an oath of office calls for a
total commitment to fulfill the duties and responsibilities that voters expect
and deserve during a term of office; and

WHEREAS our
democratic institutions are not a business, nor are the votes a

commodity
to be purchased and then ignored at will; and

WHEREAS it is
incumbent upon individuals when standing for office to recognize that the
public fully expects that winning candidates will honour their selection
with conscientious dedication for the full period of the mandate;

and

WHEREAS any
disruption in a term of office can cause a new election to be held with considerable
cost to the taxpayers; and

WHEREAS should
the Council decide upon an appointment in place of an election, the democratic
rights of citizens to elect their representatives is denied and perversion of
the system ensues; and

WHEREAS the
financial difficulties endured by Council to balance the budget and maintain
services make it imperative that no unnecessary expenses be incurred; and

WHEREAS citizens
standing for office should be aware of both the remuneration and demands of office
and understand that the public expects that they, once elected, honour that
trust and complete their term; and

WHEREAS any time a
Councillor is absent (with or without pay) from Council

deliberations,
the ward involved remains unrepresented on many key issues; and

WHEREAS it has
never been more important to have a strong Council unaligned with political
party interests to best effect negotiations with other levels of government;
and

WHEREAS it is
manifestly unfair that some councillors use their candidacy for higher office
to buttress the evaluation of their local incumbency by voters; and

WHEREAS a
councillor’s role in governing Toronto affairs should not be used like a Las
Vegas poker table where you ‘fold a hand’ and play another later without risk, penalty
or moral censure; and

WHEREAS the public,
according to published surveys, perceives the democratic process to be so
fundamentally flawed and controlled by opportunists, that voter turnout is at
an all-time low;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT this Council recognize the electoral abuse that takes
place when a Ward remains unrepresented for weeks at atime and
enact appropriate safeguards to prevent voluntary absenteeism in the pursuit of
another office;

AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT candidates for Council should swear

upon
filing their nomination papers that, if elected, they will serve at least half
the term of their mandate before seeking another office, or as a result of such
a decision, trigger automatic dismissal;

AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT Toronto Council request the Government of Ontario to amend The
Municipal Elections Act to allow a municipality to place restrictions on
the terms under which their members may stand for a higher office.”